Top five emotional moments from Roland Garros 2017

There were plenty of tear-jerkers throughout the fortnight in Paris. Here are the top five most emotional moments from the 2017 French Open.

1. Pablo Carreno Busta could barely speak during his Eusosport Spain interview with Antonio Arenas after the Spaniard battled past Milos Raonic in five sets to claim the first top-10 win of his career and reaching a first Grand Slam quarter-final.

3. Garbine Muguruza broke into tears midway through her press conference after she lost to Kristina Mladenovic. She had to leave the room but then came back and bravely continued the press conference. It’s not often you see raw emotion from the Spaniard but hats off to her for how she handled the situation.

4. We have to admit that the moment Toni Nadal walked on court and handed his nephew Rafael Nadal the 10th French Open trophy really tugged at our heart strings. Not only was it Rafa’s first Slam win in three years and a milestone 10th in Paris, it’s also the last Roland Garros for Rafa and Toni together with the world No2’s uncle stepping down as his coach end of this season. Toni could barely hold back his tears when he spoke to us after the trophy ceremony.

5. Steve Johnson broke down after defeating Borna Coric in the second round but it wasn’t about the win. The American lost his father Steve Johnson Sr. just a few weeks before Roland Garros. He died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 58. Our heart goes out to Steve and his family.

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Toni Nadal: People said that Rafael would never win anything, that he was finicky

Rafael Nadal receives the French Open trophy from his uncle and coach Toni Nadal.

Since Rafael Nadal was three years old, his uncle Toni Nadal has been his coach and mentor guiding him to historic success.

So when the Mallorcan stood on Court Philippe Chatrier to celebrate an unprecedented 10th Roland Garros title, it only made sense the French Open organisers would arrange for Toni to be with him there to share that special moment.

Not only is it a milestone triumph for Nadal, it’s also his final year working with Toni, who will end his 28-year partnership with his nephew at the end of this season in order to focus on the Rafa Nadal Academy and finally take a break from traveling the tour.

Toni stepped on Centre Court carrying the Coupe des Mousquetaires and presented it to Nadal in what was an incredibly emotional moment for both of them. The French Open organisers then played a video of all Nadal’s standout moments in the tournament that has defined his career so far.

“People said that Rafael would never win anything, that he was finicky – that I understand – but he has again demonstrated that with effort and dedication you can get things back,” Toni told reporters after the trophy ceremony while fighting back tears.

Throughout Nadal’s life, tennis and family have been intertwined with his uncle Toni playing such a crucial role in his career. Sunday looked and felt no different as the entire Nadal clan watched from the stands he made more history on the court.

His other uncle, former FC Barcelona football star Miguel Angel, was in attendance and explained why it was such an emotional moment for his brother.

“For Toni, it’s a special day. Without a doubt, Toni has marked Rafael’s career. It’s a complicated day knowing that he has said that he will stop next year,” said ‘The Beast’.

“I believe it’s a difficult day because we cannot imagine that in a year, Rafael will be without Toni.”

Nadal’s comprehensive win over Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final on Sunday was the culmination of a dominant clay season for the Spaniard, who is now back at No2 in the world and has extended his lead at the top of the Race to London.

The 31-year-old has pulled off one comeback from injury after the other – the latest being a wrist problem that forced him to withdraw after his second round at Roland Garros last year, and one which ended his season prematurely last fall.

How does he keep coming back each time?

“Because he has the mentality and he has the motivation to be here,” Toni said simply.

Team Rafa.

Nadal dropped just 35 games over his seven matches in Paris. He didn’t drop a set and was never tested – if anything, he was more devastating as the tournament progressed, despite his opponents getting tougher in the latter rounds.

Wawrinka described Nadal’s tennis on Sunday as the best he’s ever played on clay but neither the Spaniard, nor Toni, can say that definitively.

“Winning 81 consecutive matches now (like he did in 2006-2007? I don’t know. I think technically he’s now better than before, his backhand has improved a lot over the past few years. His serve, especially his second serve has improved a lot. I think he’s playing at a very good level right now,” explained Toni.

Wawrinka had beaten Nadal on clay once before, but that was in Rome 2015, when the Mallorcan was far from his best.

He was out of solutions against Nadal in the final on Sunday.

“When you play against him, he’s amazing fighter. On clay he’s just tough to play. There is always one ball coming back. There is always spin on the ball. There is always a different bounce that’s what the other player make on that surface. He create a doubt that you cannot have if you want to beat him. And on clay especially, because the way he’s moving, it’s even more difficult,” said the Swiss world No3.

Nadal will have to switch his focus quickly to the grass season as he hopes to recapture his previous form on the surface that saw him reach five Wimbledon finals and win two of them in the past.

“It has been a while since I’ve played well at Wimbledon. It’s true that after 2012 what happened with my knees have been tougher and tougher to compete on grass for me. That’s the reality, no? Let’s see if I’m playing well since the beginning of the season,” said Nadal when asked if he believes he can do well at the All England Club in three weeks’ time.

“I love grass, everybody knows, and it’s a surface that I really enjoyed a lot playing there. And I miss play with Wimbledon again. So I hope that my knees hold well and I can have the preparation that I really need and the preparation that I wanted.

“So if that happens, why not? If I have pain on the knees, then I know from experience that it’s almost impossible. Because I need to feel strong, low, and powerful legs to play well in Wimbledon. If I don’t feel that, then probably my chances are not there, no?

“But if I am healthy and I am able to have the right preparation and feel healthy during the Wimbledon, then probably gonna have my chances to play well.”

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RG final diary: Nadal's 10th is special, not because of the number, but the journey to get to it

It’s difficult to quantify what a 10th French Open title for Rafael Nadal actually means. Eight was impressive, nine was mind-blowing, 10 is… one more than that?

It is by all means an incomprehensible feat – one that has literally left his coach Carlos Moya speechless.

“There are no words to describe this,” Moya said after the final when he was asked to put Nadal’s historic achievement into context.

But if we really want to put a value on this 15th Grand Slam trophy won by Nadal, we should take a look at what it took for him to get there rather than focus on how cool it is to have a nice round figure like 10, of any title.

It had been three years since Nadal had won a major. During that time, he suffered from knee, back and wrist problems, lost his confidence, dropped to as low as No10 in the rankings – that’s bad in his world – had his worst results in over a decade and was written off by many out there.

Last year he walked away from Paris with his wrist wrapped in a blue bandage, his eyes red from emotion after he was forced to pull out ahead of his third round due to injury, at a time when he believed he was finally recovering his best form.

“It was a missed opportunity,” Nadal admitted on Sunday during his press conference, which was a stark contrast to that tearful one he had a year ago to announce his withdrawal from the tournament.

One often wonders how he finds it in himself to go through one comeback after another.

He has had so many injury setbacks but he never stopped trying to bounce back.

His journey over the last 12 months has taken him from vacationing with his girlfriend on a boat trying to forget his woes, to being No1 in the Race to London, No2 in the world, with a 10th Roland Garros trophy in tow.

That is why this No10 is special, that is why his uncle Toni came down to the court to hand him the trophy – it is their last year touring together – and that is why he had broken into tears after his victory.

Nadal was asked if the last three years felt too long having not been able to add another major to his tally.

“We cannot reduce our sport to four tournaments per year. That’s the real thing. For me, winning Monte Carlo means a lot, then Barcelona, then Madrid in front of my crowd. So I enjoyed all these things and all these titles are so important for me,” the Spaniard said.

“Yeah, today is more special, true. Win the 10th Roland Garros is something unique and different is true. And I am very happy and emotional, but I cannot think all the time about Slams. For me, every week is a different story and every week is beautiful event, and I enjoy playing tennis every week.”

It is that mentality that keeps him coming back. Nadal loves the process as much as he loves the result.

He was asked if he will feel freer for the rest of the season now that he’s finally won a 15th major. He quickly reminded us that he has “doubts every day”, and that he will feel under pressure in a week’s time when he is preparing for the grass tournament in Queen’s.

That kind of hunger and level of competitiveness cannot be taught.

For Nadal, tennis is simple. You train, you enjoy it, you fight, you win, you repeat.